Wigan Warriors coach sets out culture advice amidst Man United woes 

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet has underlined a sports club’s social responsibilities and offered advice to teams such as Man United who are one of the sporting giants falling foul of their fan’s wrath at the moment.

Not only have Wigan been successful on the field in the past 18 months but they have also led the way in how organisations should work in the community, with several brilliant initiatives being led by the Warriors.

One sports team who have had cup success but struggled in the league for a long time is Manchester United with the Premier League club having even less success off field in the aftermath of their takeover by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

A major disconnect between the club and the fans has emerged, generally due to the club’s apparently relentless pursuit of profit and cost-cutting.

Appearing on the ‘The Sports Agent’ podcast, Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet has spoken on the importance of using sport for good, with Peet also asked on what he’d advise clubs such as Manchester United.

Wigan Warriors coach sets out culture advice amidst Man United woes

Speaking on Wigan Warriors‘ mantra, Peet said: “I think any sports team or organisation, but particularly here where it is the heartbeat of the town, I think you have a responsibility.

“One, to carry yourself in a certain way or to try to make those people proud and know that you’re affecting a lot of people’s weekend and a lot of people’s lives and mood.

“But also, can you go deeper than that? Can you get your hands dirty with the nitty gritty of the town? It’s alright us having a couple of great nights in London and Las Vegas or Old Trafford but after that, if you wave bye to the town and don’t commit anything back then I think it would cheapen it a little bit.

“We’re in a privileged position so how do we want to use it? Is it just to take the money at the end of the week or is it to leave a legacy? There are a lot of issues in this town so the rugby club doing well doesn’t mask that mental health issues are through the roof and child poverty is through the roof, so there are a lot of issues that we can’t just ignore.”

Co-host Gabby Logan pointed to the stark contrast between Wigan’s connectivty with fans and that of Manchester United as she asked Peet what ‘advice’ he would give.

She said: “You look at what is going on just down the road from here and a sporting behemoth, I’m talking about Manchester United, who seem to have lost their connection with its community and how the new ownership doesn’t recognise the value of people in that business.

“When you look at those sporting outfits having those issues, what sort of advice would you give going in there?”

To that, Matt Peet gave some sage advice, stating: “It starts at the top and then everyone needs to look at themselves first. It’s as simple as that.

“Whenever things aren’t going well, look at yourself. If you’re part of that organisation, are you gossiping, are you saying what everyone else should be doing, or are you nailing your own role?

“It’s really simple, someone at the top has to say ‘This is what we’re about as a club’ and I’m not talking about a specific club but I think that’s what happened here.

“Ian and Kris, it starts with them, the culture starts at the top. Alignment is everything but I think too much gets out of some of these organisations and I wouldn’t put up with that.”

You can listen to the full podcast below.